Of Thorns and Roses
by yellowliestrue
Summary: Hermione is left behind at Hogwarts while Harry and Ron go in search for Horcruxes. Draco is scarred and afraid for his parents who decided to denounce Voldemort and try to escape. Somehow they find comfort in each other's company and find a way to put past their differences to fight a common enemy.


Chapter 1

Draco:

The owl flew straight through the kitchen and dropped two letters into Draco Malfoy's awaiting hands. He shoved the owl away and opened the first letter. It was the usual letter of supplies he'd need to attend Hogwarts. Groaning, he threw the letter onto his bed and wearily opened the second one. Something metallic fell to the floor. Draco bent to pick it up and gasped in surprise.

It was a Head Boy badge. He was Head Boy. How strange. He'd assumed they'd give it to Potter. But then, he remembered Dumbledore was dead and that Snape was Headmaster. That everything had turned upside down. For a second he'd forgotten the Dark Mark poisoning his left arm, the Dark Lord's presence in his house, and the trouble the Malfoy family was in. He laughed without humor.

Draco turned his attention to whom the Head Girl badge would go to. Probably Granger. His face twisted in disgust. However hard he tried he could never outdo her. On the other hand, he doubted Snape liked her any more than Draco did. McGonagall would have something to say about that, though. He sighed and sat down on his bed.

Everything was shit. Again, he laughed dryly; what an understatement.

Hermione:

"Harry, you know I'm fully capable of coming with you. You need me," said Hermione Granger angrily as she followed Harry and Ron up a hill near the Burrow.

"Believe me, I know. But you'd be much more useful at Hogwarts. You know that," said Harry.

"What's more important than finding the Horcruxes and killing Voldemort?" she asked.

"We're not killing him, Hermione. We're finding a way to make him mortal again."

"You'll be helping the Order," added Ron.

"We need you helping the Order members and creating a plan," said Harry.

Hermione sighed knowing she'd lost. They were right, of course, but she couldn't help feeling a little hurt that they wouldn't let her come with them.

They reached a clearing. Ron pulled a blanket from the rucksack slung across his shoulders. All three of them sat down, enjoying each other's company in what they knew would be a long time.

An hour and a half later, the trio bustled into the kitchen of the Burrow. Molly Weasley came up to them. "Hermione, dear, there are two Hogwarts letters for you." She handed two envelopes to Hermione, who fingered them questioningly. "Go on, open it," said Molly.

Hermione opened one of the letters and found the Head Girl badge along with the letter. In other circumstances, she would have been ecstatic but now she just stood there staring aimlessly at the shiny, metal badge.

"Congratulations, Hermione!" said Harry, giving her an affectionate pat on the shoulder.

"Yeah, congrats 'mione," said Ron grinning. He pulled her into a hug. She buried her head into his chest wishing more than ever she was going with them. She hated feeling as if she was being left behind.

September 1

Draco:

Draco lugged his trolley through King's Cross Station. His father, Lucius, was a couple steps ahead of him and his mother, Narcissa, lagged behind. She had a firm grip on Draco's right arm.

They reached platform nine and three quarters with just a couple of minutes to spare.

"Don't disappoint me again, Draco," came the deep voice of his father.

Draco nodded.

Narcissa pulled him into a tight hug. She squeezed him once and then let go.

"Off you go, then," said Lucius.

Draco pulled his trunk and his owl off the trolley and onto the Hogwarts Express. He looked back one last time and saw his mother's pained face and his father's gaunt and ghastly features. He looked away.

He couldn't bear to look at them any longer.

Hermione:

They were running late, as usual. She was usually punctual, but she couldn't bring herself to be speedy today. She kept on lingering and she felt Ginny doing the same. Harry wouldn't be going with them to King's Cross Station since it was too dangerous. They stood outside the Burrow.

"Do me a favor, will you?" asked Hermione. "Find them, Harry. Find all the Horcruxes and destroy them."

Harry grinned. "I'll try."

She feared she was about to burst into tears, so she pulled him into a strong hug.

"Don't rule anything out, okay? Those Horcruxes could be anything. And don't go head first into anything, be absolutely sure first. If you need anything, just send an owl."

"Don't worry we'll be fine. I promise."

She nodded. "All right, then. I'll see you soon."

He waved and she walked in the direction of the Ministry car Mr. Weasley had ordered. Everyone was already in there: Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron and Ginny. Fred and George were still operating their joke shop in Diagon Alley. Ginny sat near the window and was staring fixedly at a spot in the sky. Ron sat next to her, clearly not sure what to do. He looked up as Hermione climbed in and offered her a small smile. She gave him one in return.

The car ride was quiet and they arrived in too short a time.

Quickly, they pulled all their things out and rushed to platform nine and three quarters. The Hogwarts Express looked as if it was about to depart.

Molly gave her a quick loving hug, as did Mr. Weasley. Ron just stood there awkwardly.

"Oh Ron," Hermione said and hugged him tightly. "Be careful, all right?"

"Don't worry about us, Hermione," Ron said, trying to sound reassuring, though she knew he was worried.

Biting back tears, she nodded and pulled away. "I'd better go." She pulled her trunk behind her and rushed onto the train, giving the Weasley's a moment to themselves.

She found an empty compartment and went to sit in a corner by the window. No sooner had she sat down, came a haughty voice from the door. "What? The Mudblood's sitting alone? Where's Wonderboy and Weasel?"

She turned her head to the compartment door. "Piss off, Malfoy," she said. Draco Malfoy's tall form framed the door; he still looked gaunt and pale, but he had filled out a bit more over the summer and looked less starved. He was looking at her with malicious amusement.

"No, really, where is Potter and his stupid sidekick? Probably too frightened to show his face."

Hermione glared up at him. "What do you want?"

He rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Ginny's angry voice. "Find someone else to bother, Malfoy."

Ginny pushed her way into Hermione's compartment.

"Oh, look, it's the queen of the Harry Potter fan club," said Malfoy, bitingly.

Ginny flushed and Hermione glared at Draco angrily. "Get out." To her surprise, he gave her one long look that she didn't quite comprehend and left.

"What a git," Ginny said.

Hermione sighed. "Don't think about him."

Draco:

He walked away from Granger's compartment, annoyed. He hadn't achieved the overall goal he'd been going for. The goal being to get as much a rise out of the Golden Trio as possible. Seeing as two thirds of the trio were missing, he'd had to settle with Granger, and even that hadn't worked out.

He strolled into his compartment only to find it empty but for Pansy Parkinson. He tried to conceal his disgust. "Where's Crabbe and Goyle?" he asked sourly.

"'Dunno," she replied. "I don't think they're coming this year.

He groaned internally. Wonderful.

Draco sat across from her and stared moodily out the window.

"Draco, what's wrong?" pouted Pansy.

"Nothing, why?"

"You haven't even looked at me since you came in."

He sighed inwardly. Draco knew his father approved of the Parkinson family line and had been thrilled to hear about his new relationship with Parkinson. He never felt anything for her but pity. Just as he did now. He smirked at her contemptuously, his arrogant façade back in place. He lumbered over to her and gave her a linger kiss. She sighed in contentment. He laid down and rested his head on her lap. She stroked his hair.

Draco felt extremely uncomfortable but hid it with the ease of one who never shared his feelings. He pretended to enjoy her touch and closed his eyes. He crossed his arms behind his head.

After what seemed like an eternity but was probably only five minutes, Blaise Zabini opened the compartment door and poked his head in. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked, smirking and entering the compartment anyway. He sat across from them. "How were your summers?" he asked.

"Oh, the usual. Father took us to the south of France for a bit. And then to the coast of Spain," said Malfoy. He had lied and they all new it but none of them mentioned it. He sat up slowly and lumbered over to his original spot across from Pansy. Zabini walked over and sat next to him, crossing his legs at the ankles.

Hermione:

"Honestly, I was hoping the prick wouldn't come this year." Hermione sighed.

"Guess he couldn't miss the opportunity to torture us," Ginny replied gazing out the window. The Hogwarts Express was getting ready to go.

"They'll be all right, Ginny," said Hermione, rubbing Ginny's shoulders.

"I know. I just hate not knowing. Anything could happen you know?"

"I know," Hermione said sadly, "but the best we can do is to stay calm and not worry too much. We can do research from here and try to get word to them."

Ginny nodded. A dreary silence drifted upon them as the train departed from King's Cross Station. They both waved at the Weasley's, who smiled and waved back. Arthur had one arm around Molly and the other around Ron. Hermione felt a pang in her chest. She knew they were all scared. The coming months were going to be tough.

A couple minutes later, Luna and Neville appeared. Both Hermione and Ginny brightened at the sight of their old friends. Neville grinned widely and said, "Hermione! Ginny! It's good to see you,"

"It is nice to see you two," said Luna airily. She gave them both a soft smile. As was her usual, she was holding a copy of _The Quibbler_ , a magazine her father ran.

"Hi Neville, hi Luna," said Ginny, looking up.

Hermione smiled at them. They came in and sat on the seats across from them.

"How were your summers?" asked Hermione.

"Oh, we got a couple visits from the Ministry," said Luna.

"You did? How is your father?"

"Daddy's fine, he was a bit shaken up but we're not stopping _The Quibbler_ yet."

This worried Hermione. She knew the summer had been unusually quiet; no Death Eater attacks, no random Muggle deaths, and no threats made to Harry. It was unnerving especially considering what had happened at the end of last year, with Dumbledore's death and the Death Eaters breaking into Hogwarts. She knew this silence wouldn't last. It was the calm before the storm. The only problem was she didn't know when the storm would hit.

Neville broke the silence. "My gran didn't want me to come back this year. She said it was too dangerous."

"I reckon she was probably right what with Snape being the Headmaster and all," said Ginny.

Hermione couldn't help the fury that coursed through her veins at the sound of Snape's name. Dumbledore had trusted him, and in return for Dumbledore's trust, Snape had turned on him. Killed him with a cold wave of his wand.

"Yeah," said Neville. "I guess it is, but I couldn't stay at home. At least I'm doing something."

Draco:

The next couple hours were boring. Some other Slytherins had entered their compartment and they were chattering away. One would think they were first years by the sound of them instead of seventh years. Malfoy was trying hard to tune out the conversation but someone always turned to him for an input. He couldn't believe he was saying this, but he missed Crabbe and Goyle. They were idiots but they did what he told them. They were familiar. Routine. Today, was not routine. It was different in all the wrong ways. He didn't want to admit it, but he'd liked the past trips to Hogwarts. It was something solid.

Suddenly, the warmth was sucked right out of his lungs as if someone had flipped a light switch. Darkness flooded the room. The compartment became frigid and his breath came out in puffs of smoke. "Shit," he heard Zabini say.

Dementors.

They filled the train like a parasite; sucking out all of the light and warmth and replacing it with ice and terror. Faintly, he could here screams coming from other compartments. He didn't know what was happening to the people around him. Didn't really know what was happening to himself either. He could feel one of them approaching. He heard the creak of the compartment door, saw the faint outline of a cloak and heard the rattling of their breath. Their breath that was laced with every horrible thing that could ever happen to anyone.

Death, pain, heartbreak, loneliness, hunger, fear, desperation, destruction. Draco Malfoy could feel all of those things pressing into his chest hard, suffocating him, building a cage around him that he couldn't possibly escape from. His eyes rolled to the back of his head. It was so cold. So dark. So hopeless. Why was he even trying, he should give up now…

Somewhere deep inside him was a commanding voice urging him to fight; telling him he'd look like a coward if he didn't, but he couldn't care less. The Dementor leaned in and its putrid breath would have made him gag if he had the strength. Tears were pricking the back of his eyes. He was terrified, hopeless. He saw each and every terrible thing that had ever happened to him flash before his eyes. He saw his father yelling at him as a boy when he fell off his broom, he saw his mother looking broken as his father raged, his father antagonizing him about the fact that a Mudblood had better grades than he, remembered the way Lucius had looked after the Dark Lord had beat him that horrible night in the Department of Mysteries when he hadn't brought the prophecy, saw that awful day when he was told he had to kill Dumbledore or die.

Draco was sobbing now. His whole body convulsing. Take my soul already, he pleaded. He wanted to go. He wanted this suffering to end.

A loud voice suddenly came from what seemed to be miles away. "Oi!" it yelled. "That's the Malfoy boy! We're not looking for him. Forget about him. Stop! Expecto Patronum!"

A brilliant light in the shape of a wild cat penetrated the darkness, and the icy cold of the Dementor evaporated. Slowly, the pain and pressure on his chest started to lift. He was able to take a deep breath, trying to slow down his rapid breathing. It was still dark but not nearly as somber as before. A man, a Death Eater, Draco recognized, Amycus Carrow, stood by the door. Malfoy supposed he was the one who had yielded the Patronus Charm. "Sorry about that," Carrow said. "We're just running a regular patrol. Checking in on the Mudbloods." He spat the last word out in disgust.

Draco swallowed hard, quickly wiping the tears from his face and collecting himself. The last five minutes (or was it five years?) were a fluke. They had just taken him by surprise, that's all. After all, Malfoy had mastered the Patronus Charm a couple months ago. He shook his head to clear it. Glaring up at Carrow, he said, "Can't you keep those nasty things under control? My father will hear about this." Immediately after the words had fallen from his mouth, he regretted it. It made him sound stupid and childish.

"Oh, I'll bet he will," drawled Carrow lazily. "We're under Snape's orders. Reckon the Dark Lord trusts him more, eh? I think your father's kind of…" He waved a finger in the air. "…down in the dumps."

Anger boiled in Draco's veins. "Don't talk about my father like that," he hissed.

Carrow smirked and walked off taking the little warmth with him. It became dark and cold again, though the Dementors had moved on to other targets. Malfoy pursed his lips together and squinted around the compartment. He could make out the shape of Pansy across from him and the rapid rise and fall of her chest. Blaise Zabini sat next him. In the dark, he could make out Zabini's eyes, glittering in the darkness, watching him. He looked away quickly. Next to Pansy sat weedy and gangly Theodore Nott, who looked as terrified as Draco had felt a couple minutes before. He tried to forget the last ten minutes of his life and remain dignified. He could only hope that his reaction hadn't been visible to the others in the dark. He wouldn't' be able to live with himself if they had seen him acting like a wuss during a Dementor attack. He squeezed his hands into tight fists.

Hermione:

Everything had gone dark so suddenly. One minute they were planning what they were going to do in the coming year and the next the warmth had been sucked out of them. The windows had frosted over and every breath Hermione took hurt. She and Ginny looked at each other worriedly. Why were Dementors on the train? Granted, there were probably a million reasons but in that moment, Hermione's mind was blank. She patted the seats around her looking for her wand. She found it and gripped it ready. She heard steady footsteps and the rattling breaths of Dementors. The happiness was leaking out of her fast but she knew she could hold them up if they came for them. She'd done it before. A man's voice came through the darkness. "Hermione Granger, we know you're here somewhere!"

Hermione's heart dropped to the floor. She could feel her friend's surprised intakes of breath. The compartment door opened and without a second thought, Hermione raised her wand hand and summoned all the happy memories she could. She shouted loudly, "Expecto Patronum!" A brilliant otter emerged from her wand lighting up the room. The Dementors retreated back to the outside of the compartment but the man, stayed. He looked at her in repugnance and anger. "Calm down. We're just doing a checkup. We want to make sure no Mudbloods go unaccounted for."

"What's that supposed to mean?" came Neville's voice.

"It means, that Hogwarts is going to have stronger policies this year and we'll be monitoring the Mudbloods—" he was interrupted by Ginny's indignant cry.

"Don't call her that!" she said.

He ignored her. "We'll be monitoring the Mudbloods carefully and so we're just making sure they're all here." The man sneered.

Hermione glared back at him. "Well, I'm clearly here, so you can go now."

"One more outburst like that, young lady, and I'll personally make sure you won't ever be able to open your mouth again."

Hermione clenched her jaw tightly. She could feel the tension between her friends and knew they wanted to fight him. They didn't have a chance because the man just gave them one more disgusted look and left, along with the Dementor. Hermione let out a deep breath and her Patronus vanished.

"That was Amycus Carrow," said Luna. "He and a couple others came to my house once over the summer. They were angry over what my dad was saying in _The Quibbler_."

"Oh, Luna, I'm sorry," said Hermione. She knew they didn't just go to her place to talk.

"It's alright. It wasn't your fault," she replied in typical airy fashion.

"What's he doing here?" asked Ginny.

"I don't know." Said Luna.

They looked at each other in silence and fear of what was to come.

Draco:

"Hey, shouldn't you be in the Prefects carriage telling them what to do?" said Zabini, an hour or so later.

Malfoy groaned. "I don't feel like it."

Blaise gave him an annoyed look. "You have to. If you don't, Snape will be very annoyed."

He scoffed. "I couldn't do anything wrong if I tried."

"Maybe, but you'd still let Granger do everything by herself making her look better than you."

"You think they'd put her as Head Girl?" Draco asked.

"Well, you wouldn't know unless you go, would you?"

Malfoy looked at Zabini suspiciously. "Why do you want me to go so badly?"

Zabini just shrugged. "I just think you should be responsible for once."

"I am responsible."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "No, Malfoy, you're not."

Malfoy sighed. "Fine, whatever. I'll go, but I'm not going to do anything."

"Least you're there," said Blaise.

Draco glared at him, annoyed, and stood up. He'd already changed into his uniform. He pinned the badge to his shirt next to the Slytherin crest. "I mean, I am Head Boy," he said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Bye," crooned Pansy.

In reply, Draco waved his hand and smirked. He opened the compartment door and made his way to the Prefects carriage. Obviously, when he arrived, Granger was already there. McGonagall must have worked really hard because Malfoy knew Snape would never have chosen to put Granger as Head Girl of his own accord. He opened the door and Granger turned. Her eyes narrowed. "Malfoy, what are you doing here?"

He flashed a haughty grin and waggled the Head Boy badge on his shirt. "Can't you see? I'm Head Boy."

Hermione:

Malfoy? Head Boy? She hadn't really taken the time to think about who her male counterpart would be but she hadn't expected Malfoy. Actually, thinking it through, there was no other person it wouldn't go to. Snape was headmaster and Snape loved Malfoy. And even if he didn't, Lucius would definitely barge in to make sure his precious son got the badge. That being said, she'd probably have to do everything on her own because this git wouldn't do anything. He'd probably just sit there and mock her.

"Ok, well get in here and make yourself useful," Hermione said, irritated.

He rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me what to do, Granger." His eyes flashed at her name.

Hermione glared at him and turned away. She'd have to do this on her own, as she'd expected. She watched the new batch of prefects. They all looked excited except for the two Slytherin Prefects who looked bored. "Right," Hermione said, authoritatively. "So, I'm Hermione Granger, and I'll be telling you what you're supposed to do as Prefects. Being a Prefect is not a role to be taken lightly. Younger students will be looking up to you so try to be on your best behavior at all times. A couple of the things you d—" she was interrupted by Malfoy.

"Nice of you to introduce me." He shot her an annoyed glance and turned to face the fifth years. "I'm Malfoy but most of you know me already. I'm the best Seeker, very good looking, top marks, you all should aspire to be like me—"

"—You were a terrible Prefect! You're the exact example of what one shouldn't do as a Prefect. You abused your privileges and scared the first years." She flushed when she saw all the fifth years watching them with interest, as if they were watching a soap opera. "Stop being a bad example."

"Granger, you take everything so seriously. You have the power, you might as well use it," Malfoy said with an infuriating cockiness. Hermione couldn't believe how she was going to put up with him for the rest of the year. She chose not to reply to this last comment and continued with her speech.

"Ok, your first task as Prefects is to help the first years to their dormitories. You'll show them the way. Remember, be nice to them. They're new and probably really nervous."

"Oh please, I wasn't nervous getting into Hogwarts. Only wimps are. Like you. Bet you almost wet yourself when you were Sorted," Malfoy interrupted.

The blood boiled in Hermione's veins. "Shut up, Malfoy. I think we can all agree that you're the biggest coward there ever was." She could see his jaw tighten. In anger, she assumed. Screw him. "Anyway, take care of the first years. Another thing Prefects do, is patrol the corridors at night to make sure there aren't any students out of bed, breaking curfew. Also, Prefects have the power to take points from Houses." There was a soft murmur of excitement among the students. "But, don't abuse your power. Take points off only when you think it's really necessary and someone has broken the rules. Don't just take points off of your rival in another House because you don't like them."

Malfoy scoffed. She turned to glare it him. "You can also give detentions if you feel it's absolutely necessary. Please, don't abuse your power. You were given the badge because of your model behavior and good marks," Hermione continued, ignoring Malfoy's continuing noises of disgust. "Ok, I think that's all we've got right Malfoy?" She gave him a pointed look, daring him to contradict her. To her surprise, however, he didn't. Hermione pretended that that was the answer she'd expected and nodded to the new Prefects. "Off you go then."

They did as she told them and scuttled out of the Prefect's carriage murmuring to each other. Once they were all gone, Hermione turned to Malfoy who was lounging in the corner by the door.

"What? No, smart remarks?" said Hermione, wanting to rile him up.

"No, I'm afraid you've caught me dry," he replied glaring at her.

"Well, that's a first. How much did you have to pay Snape to get him to pick you?" Hermione had no idea why she was suddenly being so snarky. Usually when he picked on her, she'd roll her eyes and walk away but now she felt the need to get him angry.

"Only my soul and my firstborn child," Malfoy said, smirking.

She nodded, playing along. "That explains a lot."

Malfoy leaned on the compartment door and crossed his arms over his chest. "Does it now?"

She too, crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah, you've seemed especially broody these past couple hours."

His grey eyes darkened. "Or perhaps, Granger, it's because we're in the middle of a war?"

Hermione immediately felt stupid and childish. Of course they were in the middle of a war. "There's that."

Malfoy's eyes scanned her face. She couldn't tell what he was thinking. She wondered suddenly why he was being so civil. This was the longest conversation they'd ever had without trying to kill each other. Huh. It was probably the impending war or something.

Draco:

Granger was being infuriating. All the things she talked about, about honor, and not taking point off other Houses. Someone gave them the power to do that, why not just use it to their advantage?

He straightened and said, "Well, I don't think I can stand your Mudblood presence much longer so I'm going to go. Have fun being honorable and nice to first years."

"You're an arse."

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "So I've been told." He started opening the compartment door but turned once to look at Granger. She was looking at him with a look of annoyance and defiance. Under that, however, he was certain he could detect a certain glint of amusement in her eyes. Without another word, he lumbered out of the Prefect's carriage.

Stupid, goody two shoes. At least he wouldn't have to worry about his Heady Boy duties. She'd do them gladly. Shaking his head, he made it back to his compartment. Draco took a deep breath and opened the compartment door.

"You're back early," said Blaise looking up from a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ in his lap.

"You were right, it was Granger," Malfoy said, curling his lip in annoyance. "I don't see how you can get any more pompous than her. You can see her ego from the other side of the world."

"That's coming from someone whose ego can be seen from Mars," said Blaise smugly.

"What are you looking so gleeful about anyway?"

Zabini shrugged and turned back to the _Daily Prophet_.

Draco was still standing by the door and just realized that Pansy wasn't there. "Where's Parkinson?"

"'Dunno. I think she went to go find Millicent. Nott left shortly after you did. Guess she thought I was too boring."

"Oh well, that's fine by me. She was starting to get a bit annoying."

"Oh well. You just have a really low tolerance level."

Malfoy strolled into the compartment and sat across from Zabini and looked out the window, fingering his wand that was in the pocket of his cloak.

"We're almost at Hogwarts," said Blaise following his gaze out the window to the dark silhouettes of scenery.

"Yeah," Malfoy said, having no idea what to expect from this coming school year. It was off to a bad start already.

Hermione:

The train came to a stop and they all packed up their things and got off. It was dark and a bit cold. Hermione followed Neville to the carriages. It still unnerved her how she knew they were pulled by Thestrals but couldn't see them. On their way there, she heard a familiar voice calling out, "Firs' years! Firs' years this way! Come on!"

"Hagrid!" Hermione called out.

He turned, his long unruly hair billowing in the wind. Spotting her, he brightened and waved. "Hermione! 'ow are you?"

"I'm good. You? How's Snape treating you?"

"Oh, don't worry 'bout me, Hermione. How's 'arry?"

"He's fine, he's staying at the Weasley's place for now."

Hagrid nodded. "Right. He and Ron'll be fine, don't you worry a thing Hermione."

"I know. Thanks Hagrid. I've got to go. I'll see you soon."

He waved and turned back to the first years. She hurried up the pavement to catch up to Ginny, Neville, and Luna. She found them already sitting in a carriage. They waved to her. Hermione climbed up. "How's Hagrid?" asked Ginny.

"He's fine," replied Hermione absentmindedly.

"I wonder how the feast is going to be without Dumbledore," said Neville morosely.

Hermione sighed heavily. "I don't know. I can't imagine Snape introducing everyone back to Hogwarts and starting the feast."

"Me too," said Ginny, her lips pressed tightly together.

They reached the huge double doors that lead to the Great Hall. Students were bustling in and chattering amongst each other. The Enchanted Ceiling was murky and cloudy. Hermione, Ginny, and Neville said goodbye to Luna as she left them to sit at the Ravenclaw table. They found their way to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas. They both waved.

Hermione looked over to the teacher's table. In the center, sat Snape looking as sulky as always. To his left sat Professor McGonagall who looked tense and as if she'd aged ten years in only two months. Hermione felt bad, she knew the professor had been close to Dumbledore and his death must have been hard for her. She wondered how she managed to sit so calmly next to his murderer.

"Look, it's the man from the Dementors," Neville said. He pointed to the man sitting to the right of Snape.

"No, is that Carrow? I guess that explains why he was on the train," Hermione said dejectedly.

"You reckon he's a teacher?" asked Ginny.

"I think he's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," replied Hermione grimly.

"No."

"What other spot would be available?"

"Well, there's potions, now. I doubt Slughorn would have stayed after all that happened last year," said Ginny

Hermione quickly scanned the teacher's table and found that, indeed, Slughorn was nowhere to be seen. "Well, I don't see any new teacher besides Carrow. Maybe Snape's going to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts again?"

They were interrupted by Snape hitting a glass with a spoon, making a loud clinking noise. The sound pained Hermione, for it was something she had seen Dumbledore do so many times before. The action seemed wrong coming from Snape. He didn't deserve to do it.

Snape was standing at the Headmaster's podium wearing his customary black robes. The Great Hall had gone quiet as the students stared at him expectantly. Snape's greasy hair hung like strings in his gaunt face. He looked up and said, "To the first years, welcome to Hogwarts and to those of you returning, welcome back. There will be some changes this coming school year. For one, no bad behavior will be tolerated whatsoever. You get one chance and that's it. The punishments for disobeying the rules will be much more severe than those you have experienced these past years." He looked around at the students his face still dark and gloomy, not an ounce of self-pleasure on his face. "So, be warned. On another note, I would like to welcome Professor Amycus Carrow who will be taking on the role of Defense Against the Dark Arts and his sister Professor Alecto Carrow who will be teaching the Muggle Studies class. Professor Horace Slughorn, who regrettably, was not able to make this welcoming feast, will be continuing his post as Potions Master." Snape paused, nodded curtly, and then said, "Let the feast begin."

Food appeared on the empty plates on the table and the chatter resumed. Seamus stared disgustedly at Snape. "That was the worst welcome back speech I've ever heard."

"The man's an idiot," interjected Dean.

"I honestly don't know what this year is going to bring," said Hermione, looking back at the teacher's table.

They all looked at each other and in their eyes was the same thing: it was all going to end with Voldemort, here, at Hogwarts.

Draco:

"Hogwarts' has finally got itself a good headmaster," Pansy said as she reached for a bowl of potatoes.

"I reckon he knows how to keep everyone in order," said Zabini, staring at the teacher's table, specifically, at Amycus Carrow, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

Malfoy followed his gaze to the table. Snape was looking grimly around the Great Hall at his pupils. Draco turned to Nott, who was shoving food into his mouth as if he hadn't eaten in days. "So, when was the last time you ate?" he asked.

Nott looked up from his food and glared. "Shove off,"

Annoyed, Malfoy turned to Pansy. Why were these people so boring? He'd never noticed it before. "What classes are you taking, Draco?" she asked.

"Oh the usual, though I added Arithmancy and dropped Care of Magical Creatures. I don't know why I ever continued with that class, it was absolutely worthless." He sneered. "That stupid giant trying to get us killed every two seconds."

"I actually found his classes quite interesting," Blaise said.

"You would, wouldn't you?" He scowled at him.

Zabini's dark eyes watched Malfoy's face, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You've changed quite a bit over the summer. Where's the sneer and the anger? You've gotten boring."

"I've just been thinking through a bunch of things."

"Like what?"

Like a cloud passing over the sun, Zabini's face darkened and Malfoy could basically see the shutters pulling over his eyes. Malfoy knew, although he didn't like it, that he wasn't getting any more information. Zabini had always been a bit closed off and reserved. Draco rolled his eyes and sighed.

After dinner ended, he followed the rest of the Slytherins to their common room located behind a stone wall in the dungeons. He whispered the password, Peruvian Vipertooth, and entered the common room. It was partially under the lake, giving it a greenish tint. He passed the common room and walked through the corridors to the dormitories. Two of the five four poster beds were empty; they were those of Crabbe and Goyle. He looked away. Zabini and Pike would occupy the other two beds, though he hadn't seen Pike on the train or at the feast. Perhaps he wouldn't come. Either way, he had the room for himself now. His trunk was already on his bed. He pushed the trunk over and pulled out his wand from his robe pocket and fingered it. Draco laid down on the bed, angling himself so that his feet weren't touching his trunk on the edge of the bed.

He leisurely put his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling, thinking of ways he could redeem his family name and get on better terms with the Dark Lord. Recently, He had been especially strict with the Malfoys as both Lucius and Draco had failed to obey his orders. With a shudder, he remembered the torture he and his family had gone through, both after Lucius hadn't brought the prophecy and after Malfoy hadn't killed Dumbledore. His mind flashed back to the Dark Lord's cold eyes, to the way he pulled his wand out slowly, and Malfoy saw, again, as if in slow motion, the way his thin lips had curled over the words "Crucio!" He remembered the agonizing pain, the—

No.

Draco stood up and started pacing the room, forming his hands into tight fists. No wallowing. He would not remember those horrible first days after he left with the Death Eaters from Hogwarts. His steps quickened. He needed to stop being weak, starting now. He took a deep breath and raked his hands through his hair. Then, with a renewed sense of purpose, he walked back down to the common room, intent on being the Draco Malfoy the Slytherins had all loved.


End file.
